Charging device for concrete mixers



Oct. 1, 1929. G. T. ALLEN CHARGING DEVICE FOR CONCRETE MIXERS Filed Aug. 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. 1, 1929. 1,729,602

G. T. ALLEN CHARGING DEVICE FOR CONCRETE ulxnns Filed- Aug. 27, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Clot. 1, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE T. ALLEN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO RANSOME CONCRETE MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY CHARGING- DEVICE FOR CONCRETE MIXERS Application filed August 27, 1926. Serial No. 131,822.

The improvements relate primarily to "charging devices for concrete mixers, but are not limited to such application, and may be used for charging any mixer or other device in which solids are to be elevated and discharged and liquids supplied thereto to be mingled therewith.

Their objects and purposes are, among others, to provide a more efiicient, dependable and certain means for measuring the quantity of liquid, discharging it at the proper time and in the proper manner, and refilling the liquid receptacle, and one in which the operation of elevating and charging solidsin the present case concrete aggregatesand lowering the loader for another ch rge, automati cally discharges, refills and measures the charge of liquid.

The improvements are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation, partly diagrammatic, of a portion of a concrete mixing drum, with pivoted charging hopper or loader mounted therewith carrying the liquid charging device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical medial section of the liquid and solids charging device of Fig. 1 enlarged, the section being taken substantially on the line 22 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 3 is an elevation at substantially right angles to the elevation of Fig. 1, showing the same parts illustrated in Fig. 2, also enlarged.

The mixing drum 1 shown herein is of the tilting type, but the present improvements may be used in connection with non-tilting drums or drums of other description. The charging devices are pivotally supported at 2 on a diagonal 8 extending from the base member 4: to the upright member 3 of the frame, and secured to both. The trip member 5 is rigidly secured to said diagonal and upright and extends outwardly and upwardly therefrom into the path of an arm 6 for operating the float valve of the tank.

The charging hopper 7 is of usual form, and is supported on the frame by means of the pivot 2, which in the present case moves in a slotted plate 8 until the jaw 9 on the arm 10 engages the rod 11, and the loader then pivots on said rod. This connection, however, is not a part of the present improvements. A supporting arm 12 extending from the pivot 2 and secured to the hopper 7 further supports it on said hopper. Any suitable means for raising and lowering the hopper may be employed, as, for instance, the ordinary cable wound on a drum at a point above the highest point of the hopper.

The tank 14 has a discharge spout 13 normally extending upward, and this tank and its spout are fixed to the upper and outer part of the loading hopper and well above the open rear portion of the hopper into which the concrete aggregates are dumped. In the cover 15 of the tank a rod 16 is mounted to have vertical movement therethrough, and the lower end of this rod carries a valve plug 1'? surrounded by a chamber 18 to receive water from the supply pipe 19. The bottom of the tank has a valve seat 20 therein, and a stop device 21 for the rod 16, limiting its downward movement, is mounted on the said rod. A. float 22 is also slidably mounted on said rod and adapted to be fixed in any position to which it may be adjusted by means of the set screw 23, so that the volume of water admitted to the tank may be regulated as desired.

The arm 6 is pivotally mounted on the hop per at 24, extends beyond the same through the guide 25 and has its inner upwardly extending end 6 immediately over the upper end of the rod 16 so that when the arm or lever 6 is moved upwardly it will depressthe rod and its float and open the valve. This provision is necessary for the reason that the pressure of water against the valve plug will hold the said plug in closed position against the gravity of the plug, rod and its float, and positive means for opening the vali e are required. As the hopper and tank ascend the extending end of the valve lever 6 passes over the pivoted trip 26 with beveled outer end, but when the hopper descends the said end of the rod 16 will be detained momentarily, and

its inner end pressed against rod 16 to open the valve. The length of the arm 6 is so fixed that when it moves upwardly to an extent necessary to open the valve it will slip over the trip 26 and as the float rises to close the valve will resume its normal position ready for another valve opening movement.

It will be seen that by the present improvements a very simple and effective device is provided, which operates automatically with the charging hopper, the contents of the tank being discharged simultaneously with the solid contents of the hopper into the mixer, through the discharge spout 13, and that by adjusting the float 22 on the rod 16 the quantity of liquid desired foreach batch may be carefully measured. The supply pipe connection 19 is made of flexible material, and is of sufficient length to permit it to rise and fall with the hopper.

The present improvements have many advantages, which will be apparent to those familiar with the construction and operations of devices of this character. An advantage not apparent resides in the fact that an engineer or inspector may fix the float so as to limit the quantity of water used in each batch of concrete, and may apply thereto or use in connection therewith a locking device which will ensure against the use of too great a quantity of water. The operator also, having fixed the position of the float, and consequently the quantity of water used with each batch, need give the tank no further attention and can be assured that that quantity will be maintained and discharged automatically into the mixer with each load of solid aggregates.

I claim.

1. The combination with a loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered and to receive at its lower position and discharge at an upper position materials to be mixed with liquid of a. liquid container mounted on said loader to move therewith, means for admitting liquid thereto when the device is in lower position and for discharging the same therefrom in upper position and automatic means for regulating the quantity of liquid admitted to the said liquid container.

2. The combination of a loading device pivotally mounted to swing to positions below and above horizontal to be charged and discharged, a liquid vessel mounted thereon to swing therewith to similar positions, means for automatically filling said vessel at its lower position, and said vessel having an outlet above the body thereofin charging position and below a portion thereof in discharging position, to permit the contents of the vessel to flow therefrom by gravity.

3. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer, the frame for supporting the same, and a skip mounted upon the frame for movement from a receiving position to a position where it will discharge into the drum, of a water tank mounted upon the skip and having a spout, and means causing the automatic filling of the water tank to a. predetermined level when the skip is lowered to a receiving position and the discharge of water from the tank into the drum when the skip has been raised to a discharge position.

4. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer, the frame for supporting the same, and. a skip mounted upon the frame for movement from a receiving position to a position where it will discharge into the drum, of a water tank mounted upon the skip and movable with it, a pipe connection for supplying water to the water tank, a valve controlling the passage of water into the tank, a float disposed in the tank and operable to close said valve when the water has risen to a predetermined level in the tank, and means causing the discharge of water from said tank into the drum when the skip has been raised to a discharge position.

5. The combination with a mixer and a pivotally mounted skip movable in a vertical plane from a receiving position to an outwardly inclined position where it discharges into the mixer, of a tank carried upon the skip, means for automatically filling the tank to a predetermined point when the skip is lowered to its receiving position, and means for causing the discharge of water from the tank when the skip has been lifted to its discharge position.

6. In combination with a. loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered to discharge and receive materials to be mixed, of a liquid container connected with said loader and mounted to move therewith to charging and discharging positions, said liquid container having a discharge outlet in position to discharge the liquid contents of the container when the loading device is in unloading position, said discharge outlet of the liquid container being normally open and said container having a spout leading to said dischar e outlet arranged to .move to positions above and below horizontal with the loading device.

7. In combination with a loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered to discharge and receive materials to be mixed, of a liquid container connected with said loader and mounted to move therewith to charging and discharging positions, said liquid container having a discharge outlet in position to discharge the liquid contents of the container when the loading device is: in unloading position and automatic means operable by movement of said loading device for admitting liquid to said container.

8. In combination with a loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered to discharge and receive materials to be mixed, of a liquid container connected with said loader and mounted to move therewith to charging and discharging positions, said liquid container having a discharge outlet in position to discharge the liquid contents of the container when the loading device is in unloading position, and mounted to be moved from such position and to non-discharging position by the move: rent of the loading device to charging position and automatic means operable in response to movement of said loading device toward charging position for admitting liquid to said container.

9. In combination with a loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered to discharge and receive materials to be mixed, of a liquid container connected with said loader and mounted to move therewith to charging and discharging positions, said liquid container having a discharge outlet in position to discharge the liquid contents of the container when the loading device is in unloading position, and mounted to be moved from such position and to non-discharging position by the movement of the loading device to charging position, automatic means operable by movement or said loading device for admitting liquid to said container, and automatic means for shutting oil the liquid supply to said container.

10. In combination with a loading device for a mixer mounted to be raised and lowered to discharge and receive materials to be mixed, of a liquid container connected with said loader and mounted to move therewith to charging and discharging positions, said liquid container having a discharge outlet in position to discharge the liquid contents of the container when the loading device is in unloading position, and mounted to be moved from such position and to non-discharging position by the movement of the loading device to charging position, automatic means operable by movement of said loading device for admitting liquid to said container, and automatic means for shutting off the liquid supply to said container, said last named means being adjustable to measure the quantity of liquid admitted to said container.

11. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer, the frame for supporting the same and a skip mounted upon the frame for movement from a receiving position to a position where it will discharge into the drum, of a liquid tank mounted upon the skip and adapted to receive and discharge calcium chloride solution and means causing the automatic filling of the tank to a predetermined level when the skip is lowered to a receiving position and the discharge of solution from the tank into the drum when the skip has been raised to a discharge position.

12. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer and a loading skip associated therewith and mounted for arcuate travel with respect thereto, of a water tank having an inlet and outlet, said tank positioned to respond to movements occasiohed by arcuate travel of said skip, and means causing the automatic filling of the tank to a predetermined level when the skip is traveling towards one limit of its travel and the discharge of water from the tank into the drum when the skip approaches another limit of its travel in an opposite direction.

13. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer and a loading skip associated therewith and mounted for arcuate travel with respect thereto, of a water tank having an inlet and outlet, said tank positioned to respond to movements occasioned by arcuate travel of said skip, means controlling the passage of water into said tank including mechanism for shutting oil the water when same has risen to a predetermined level in the tank, and means causing the discharge of water from said tank when the skip has been moved to a discharge position.

14. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer and a loading skip associated therewith and mounted for arcuate travel with respect thereto, of a water tank having an inlet and outlet, said tank positioned to respond to movements occasioned by arcuate travel of saic skip, a valve controlling the passage of water into said tank, and means o-peratively associated with said valve for closing same when the water has risen to a predetermined level in the tank.

15. The combination with a mixing drum of a concrete mixer and a loading skip asso ciated therewith and mounted for arcuate travel with respect thereto, of a water tank having an inlet and outlet, said tank positioned to respond to movements occasioned by arcuate travel of said skip, a valve controlling the passage of water into said tank, means operatively associated with said valve for closing same when the water has risen to a predetermined level in the tank, and means for positively opening said valve under predetermined conditions.

16. In a device of the character described, a liquid receptacle adapted to be mounted in association with the movable loading device of a concrete mixer and thereby to be discharged in response to movements thereof comprising a tank having an inlet and outlet, means for closing said inlet when the water in the tank has reached a predetermined level, said means positioned for closing in the direction of water flow.

lVitness my hand this 5 day of August, 1926, at Dunellen, county of Middlesex, State of New Jersey.

GEORGE T. ALLEN. 

